Getting Started

Creating a web site with ImpressCMS is very simple, indeed. From beginning to end, you can be live in a matter of minutes! Your biggest challenge will be in getting yourself organized and motivated to add content and keep your site fresh.

Getting Prepared

Just like any other project, you will need to gather the tools and components prior to starting. You will need the following tools:

• A file transfer client (FTP - FileZilla or WinSCP) to upload the files to your server
• A utility to extract compressed files (7zip and IZArc are 2 good open source solutions - and they're free!)
• A web server (Apache or IIS) with PHP and MySQL or hosting account
• More useful tools are found on the Recommended Utilities page
• A list of additional functions and areas you would like for your site (blog, wiki, photo gallery, forums, news, links, downloads, etc.)
• The latest version of ImpressCMS

Download the Latest Version

• Download ImpressCMS
• Extract the files to your local computer using 7zip, IZArc, or another compression utility

Server Setup

You will need to know your account details - a username and password that gives you access to save files to your hosting space and create a database for your account.

Uploading Files

Use your FTP client to upload the files to your hosting space. Be sure to make the cache/ and templates_c/ folders writable.

Installation

Once you have uploaded all the files to your hosting account, open your browser and point it to yoursite.com. If you have properly uploaded all your files, the first page of the installation wizard will display in your browser.

Complete the information on each page and press the 'Next' button to move to the next step. The Installation Guide provides a step-by-step explanation of each step.

Configuring

After you have logged in, you will find Administration option listed on the User Menu. That will take you to the Administration area where you can handle most configuration options of your site.

When you reach the administration area, the Control Panel will show you all the options you can set. You may also see warnings if your installation folder has not been removed or if mainfile.php is still writable.

These are important steps to take to protect your site. The Administration page will provide details about each of the various areas and options you can set.

Add functionality

Now that you have a working site, you can start adding modules to it, as explained on the using_modules page.